is a passenger

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

located in the city of Iyo,

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

, Japan. It is operated by

JR Shikoku The , commonly known as , is the smallest of the seven constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates of intercity and local rail services in the four prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Japan. The company has it ...

and has the station number "S09". The station has been featured on the

Seishun 18 Ticket The is a special discount ticket issued in Japan that allows holders one-day unlimited rides on the local trains of Japan Railways Group (JR) during limited periods of the year. One ticket is valid for five (not necessarily continuous) days (mi ...

promotional poster 3 times, making it very popular with photographers and tourists.

Lines

Shimonada Station is served by the JR Shikoku

Yosan Line The is the principal railway line on the island of Shikoku in Japan, connecting the major cities of Shikoku, and via the Honshi-Bisan Line, with Honshu. It is operated by the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku), and is aligned approximately pa ...

and is 222.4 km from the beginning of the line at . It is located on the older, original branch of the line which runs along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea. As most limited express services use the newer and shorter Uchiko branch from to , Shimonada is mainly served by local trains. The eastbound local services end at . Connections with other services are needed to travel further east of Matsuyama on the line. The tourist train ''Iyonada Monogatari'' runs on the coastal branch and makes a stop at Shimonada to allow passengers to take in and photograph the scenic views. One train times its arrival at sunset to catch the view of setting sun over the Seto Inland Sea. However passengers do not leave the train at this station and no new passengers are taken on.

Layout

The station consists of a

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...

serving a single track. An unstaffed station building serves as a waiting room. A ramp leads to the platform where a shelter is provided. There are traces of a track bed on the other side of the platform, indicating that it was once an island serving two tracks. File:Shimonada Station 201507(4).JPG, A scene commonly featured in travel magazines: the platform, with its shelter, with its unobstructed view of the Seto Inland Sea. File:Shimonada Station 201507(3).JPG, The ramp from the waiting room to the platform. File:R378 and Shimonada Station.JPG, Shimonada from a high vantage point. Note the kink in the track, indicating that there were once two tracks serving the station.

History

Shimonada Station was opened on 9 June 1935 as the terminus of the then Yosan Main Line which had been extended westwards from . It became a through-station just a few months later on 6 October 1935 when the line was extended to . At that time the station was operated by

Japanese Government Railways The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national railway system directly operated by the Japanese Ministry of Railways ( ja, 鉄道省, Tetsudō-shō, ) until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Rai ...

(JGR), later becoming

Japanese National Railways The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...

(JNR). With the privatization of JNR on 1 April 1987, control of the station passed to JR Shikoku.

Surrounding area

* Iyo City Hall Shimonada Branch * Iyo Municipal Shimonada Elementary School

References

External links

Station timetable
{{Yosan Line Railway stations in Ehime Prefecture Railway stations in Japan opened in 1935 Iyo, Ehime